Effect of initial precipitation temperature on the structural evolution and catalytic behavior of Cu/SiO2 catalyst in the hydrogenation of dimethyloxalate

► Nano-Cu/SiO2 catalyses the hydrogenation of dimethyl oxalate to ethylene glycerol. ► Effect of initial precipitation temperature on structure evolution was firstly reported. ► Proper ratio of Cu0/Cu+ could be optimized by adjusting the initial precipitation temperature. ► High yield of ethylene glycerol could be obtained via the optimized catalysts.